


The Perceivers

by ClingingOntoAir



Category: Star Trek: The Next Generation
Genre: Character Study, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-17
Updated: 2014-08-17
Packaged: 2018-02-13 12:12:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 994
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2150283
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ClingingOntoAir/pseuds/ClingingOntoAir
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Geordi's been thinking about his feelings and his relationship with Data. Oddly enough, Data's been doing the same thing, and he wants to let Geordi know just how much he means to him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Perceivers

Geordi had always seen Data differently than the rest of the crew. He knew that his VISOR gave him the ability to see more of the electromagnetic spectrum than was typical of human vision, allowing him to read machines at least as well as people. Sometimes, Geordi thought that he was even more comfortable around machines – he’d always been slightly awkward in social situations, and found it much easier to navigate the twists and turns of Jefferies tubes than those of interpersonal relationships. Even the gentle humming of the Enterprise’s warp core was vastly preferable to the amiable chatter that always filled Ten Forward.

It had taken a while for most of the crew to see him as more than ‘the blind guy’. Only Data had looked at him, really looked, that first time, and seen more than the VISOR. Geordi considered Data to be his best friend. He hoped Data thought the same, but they hardly ever talked about it; any subject approaching feelings or emotion was quickly dismissed by Data. He’d simply state, ”I am incapable of emotion” and consider the subject closed. Geordi knew to leave well enough alone, but he privately wondered if Data was truly incapable or merely unaware of his capacity for feeling. The android did have preferences, after all, and people telling Data what he could and could not do had never stopped him before. Geordi realized he didn’t openly discuss his own feelings much either. However, he was constantly torn between asking Data outright how he perceived their relationship, and never mentioning it at all so he could still pretend that Data could feel the same.

As a combination of both man and machine, Data was special. Data had a glow to him that never failed to make Geordi’s heart beat just a tiny bit faster. Since his move down to Engineering, Geordi had found himself making several excuses for Data to come down and assist him with various tasks; just seeing Data’s raised eyebrow at being summoned yet again was enough to brighten Geordi’s day, even if it was only for a few minutes. He hadn’t realized how much he was used to spending his entire day in Data’s presence on the bridge until one day, about three weeks after his transfer, he’d turned around excitedly toward a familiar-seeming glow on the edge of his vision to find only minor energy fluctuations in the warp core. After that, he made a point of spending free time with Data at least once a week. They usually went to the holodeck, or played chess. Still, they never talked about themselves.

Geordi longed for his relationship with Data to become more than it currently was, but felt paralyzed every time he even considered bringing it up with him. Hell, he didn’t even know how to define their relationship as it currently was, let alone what he’d like it to be. How do you suggest emotional intimacy to a man who has none? Geordi was just grateful that his brain and his VISOR weren’t ganging up on him anymore, now that he’d taken the initiative to spend more time with Data. It was an exquisite sort of pain, speaking so little of what was on his mind–nothing like his VISOR headaches, though, and worth it, to do enjoyable activities in excellent company.

Speaking of which, he was supposed to meet Data in his quarters soon… something about his most recent painting, which he’d been keeping under wraps. Usually Geordi saw Data through all stages of his artistic ventures, and he’d been the one to get him to try painting in the first place, but this time Data had refused, citing something like, “seeing my work in its unfinished state, in this instance, will detract from the emotional effect of the final piece.” Maybe Data was studying ‘human responses to creative endeavors’ or something. Well then. He finished the last set of notes on his PADD for the day, and headed off towards Data’s quarters.

* * *

Geordi stared openmouthed at the canvas before him, at a loss for words. There he was, VISOR glowing just as brightly as any electromagnetic pulses he’d ever seen from Data – almost like a halo around his own head. Had Data managed to make the paint shimmer, or was that just his own pulse pounding in his brain? He looked at Data, then back at the painting, and he understood.

Data perceived him exactly as he was, and Geordi was important to him. The painting wasn’t perfect by any stretch – the edges of his body merely faded into the background – but that in itself spoke volumes, because Data knew dozens of different techniques for oil paint and if he’d made smears it must have been a conscious decision. And Data himself was in this painting; as far as Geordi knew, he’d never attempted to depict himself before. They weren’t doing anything in particular, and there wasn’t even much of a background (or foreground, for that matter). The fact that he’d wanted Geordi to wait until it was finished, though… the implied message was: Geordi, you are vibrant, you matter to me, and I accept you with all of your flaws.

The revelation was astounding.

He reached out, slowly, to trace his finger over the contours of the painted VISOR. It was just like he’d had to do as a child before having the real thing.

“What do you think of this painting, Geordi?” inquired Data.

“Data, it’s… it’s wonderful.” Geordi breathed. He tried to pack as much of his unexpected, overwhelming surge of feeling into those two words as possible. For all that Data claimed he couldn’t express emotions himself, he knew how to recognize most human sentiments by now. The feelings that his mechanical body could not interpret manifested themselves on the canvas, plainly displayed for Geordi to see.

Data smiled at him, and reached for his hand. “We do make an excellent team.”

**Author's Note:**

> Title comes from this quote from LeVar Burton: "Data and Geordi recognized something in each other that was the initiating spark that got them together. Data said, “my brain and your eyes, they both perceive the world exactly as they are” and so Data and Geordi decided to form a team and they called themselves The Perceivers. Data’s eyes and Geordi’s brain don’t have the luxury of entertaining artifice of any kind. They are forced by their very nature to experience the world exactly as it is, without the coloration of emotion, or history, and it’s a very unique way to look at the world. In that unique perception, they’re bound together." If you want to watch the whole video, you can find it [here](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9GU6TXm6Gw).
> 
> Thanks to hermioneofvulcan for getting me started. This fic ended up being a bunch of ideas combined that I probably picked up from reading everybody else's headcanons, but I'm honestly just glad I finished something (this was originally supposed to be written for DaForge appreciation week). There may be more where this came from, but probably not anytime soon.


End file.
